Limits on axions and axionlike particles within the axion window using a spin-based amplifier

Abstract: Searches for the axion and axionlike particles may hold the key to unlocking some of the deepest puzzles about our universe, such as dark matter and dark energy. Here we use the recently demonstrated spin-based amplifier to constrain such hypothetical particles within the well-motivated ``axion window'' (1 $\mu$eV-1 meV) through searching for an exotic spin-spin interaction between polarized electron and neutron spins. The key ingredient is the use of hyperpolarized long-lived $^{129}$Xe nuclear spins as an amplifier for the pseudomagnetic field generated by the exotic interaction. Using such a spin sensor, we obtain a direct upper bound on the product of coupling constants $g_p^e g_p^n$. The spin-based amplifier technique can be extended to searches for a wide variety of hypothetical particles beyond the Standard Model.